Respirators (also known as ventilators) as medical devices are used for the artificial respiration of patients. The respirator is connected by means of a tube nozzle to a tube system as an accessory. The air is sent through the tube system to the patient for artificially respirating the patient. The tube nozzle as a coupling device is used to mechanically couple the respirator to the tube system or vice versa in a fluid-tight manner. An induction coil as an RFID antenna and a writing and/or reading module are installed in the respirator. An inductance, a capacitance and a semiconductor chip are integrated in the tube system to form an RFID transponder. The tube system thus comprises an electric resonant circuit with a semiconductor chip. The tube nozzle is provided with an inductance, a capacitance and an electric conductor for forming a resonant circuit. When sending electromagnetic waves or a magnetic wave from the induction coil of the respirator, the resonant circuit in the induction coil is set to resonate, so that a magnetic field is also sent by the resonant circuit in the tube nozzle and this magnetic field is passed on to the tube system. The distance between the inductance or induction coil in the respirator and the inductance in the tube system can be bridged over in this manner. Information, for example, treatment parameters of the patient, parameters for reprocessing the tube system or other technical parameters are contained in the semiconductor chip of the tube system. The respirator is connected to different tube systems, so that transmission of information or data from the respirator to the tube system and vice versa is necessary. This takes place in a wireless manner between the RFID transponder in the tube system with the inductance, the capacitance and the semiconductor chip and the writing and/or reading module in the respirator and vice versa.
The tube nozzles are to be cleaned and disinfected by means of autoclaving at regular intervals. The tube nozzles may be damaged when they are being treated in the autoclave. So-called service transponders are arranged in the immediate vicinity of the respirator within the framework of a continuous and initial self-test. The respirator checks the function of the RFID writing and/or reading module and of the induction coil in the respirator by means of the service transponders. Furthermore, it is necessary for checking the operatability of the tube system.